Bread Salad Tuscan Style (Panzanella)

By Maverick19

This is a classic Tuscan bread salad. This is originally made with red wine vinegar and saltless bread. This recipe uses lemon juice instead of the vinegar and adds cucumbers for dimension and crunch. You can also use sliced celery in place of the cucumber.

Ingredients

• For the Vinaigrette:
• 8 oz day old Italian bread, about 1/2 of a loaf, torn or cut into large pieces
• 2 pounds ripe tomatoes, large dice
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced Tropea (red torpedo) onions, or a sweet onion, like maui, vidalia or red
• 1 pound english cucumbers, halved lengthwise and cut into large dice (if using celery, use
• same amount and slice thick, then dice
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed, torn into large pieces (you can sub Italian parsley)
• kosher salt to taste
• fresh ground pepper to taste
• 2 Tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (1 to 2 lemons)
• 6 anchovies, finely chopped, (or 1 Tbsp anchovy paste)
• 3 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup BEST QUALITY extra-virgin olive oil (the best quality makes a huge difference)

Preparation

Step 1

1. Make the vinaigrette. Place all of the ingredients, except the oil, in a medium nonreactive bowl, stir to combine and let sit for 15 minutes. Then, while whisking continuously, add the oil in a slow, steady stream until it is fully incorporated.

2. Make the salad. Tear the bread and place in a large bowl. Add half of the vinaigrette. Toss to coat well, then set aside at room temperature for about 10 minutes.

3. Place the tomatoes, onions and cucumber in a separate large bowl and add the remaining vinaigrette. Toss to coat well, then set aside at room temperature for about 10 minutes.

4. Add the vegetables and the basil to the bread and mix until evenly combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Let salad sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes to allow flavors to meld, then serve, preferably at room temperature.